YOUR PASSION, YOUR PURPOSE

YOUR PASSION, YOUR PURPOSE

Have you found your passion?
If you can't figure out your purpose then start by figuring out your passion. When you figure out your passion, it will lead you right to your purpose. 

You must BELIEVE with all your heart and your soul that YOU are GOING TO ACHIEVE IN THIS LIFE, what you always wanted to do. Whatever that passion is, Live it, Breath it and Follow it.


Written By Liza Pavlakos

YOURSELF FIRST

YOURSELF FIRST!

Love yourself  FIRST instead of being anxious about the idea of some else loving you.
When you have love for yourself, you forget anger and frustration.
When you have compassion, peace and empathy will flow through you. See sunshine instead of shadows because you must realize that only when you truly love yourself , you will see that opportunities are in front of you rather than obstacles.

MY SHIP; "HAS THE WATER ENTERED MY SHIP?"

MY SHIP; "HAS THE WATER ENTERED MY SHIP?"


There are many of us who are really so engrossed with our professional material lives that we neglect our families, health, social and most important spiritual responsibilities.
If asked why we do this, we reply, " We are doing it for our family."

Yet, our kids are sleeping while we leave home. They are sleeping while we come back home. Twenty years later, we will turn back and they will be all gone to pursue their own dreams and their own lives.

Without water, a ship can not move. A ship needs water, but if the water gets into the ship, the ship will face existential problems. What was once a means of moving for the ship will become a means of distruction.

Similarly, we live in a time when earning is a necessity, but let not the earning enter into our hearts, for what was once a means of living will become a means of distruction for us as well,

So take a moment and ask yourself.."Has the water entered my ship?"

Contributed By Peter Opeyemi Aderinoye

YOU ARE PERFECT JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

YOU ARE PERFECT JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
 
"Yesterday I was clever, I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise so I am changing myself."- Rumi

There is nothing in the world that is wrong with you. You are perfect just the way you are. You have always been smart, always so courageous, you have faced adversity like no other, so why doubt yourself?

The things I write about are so simple, but sometimes we need to hear from another just to be validated.
Well, here I am to validate you and tell you what should already know about yourself and it is the simplest truth and that is that YOU ARE PERFECT JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.

Don't try to change because of others, don't let what others think about you get you down, for it is only what you think about yourself that truly matters. Pat yourself on the back for providing for yourself and your family the best way you can. Give yourself some kindness especially if others are not kind to you. Tell yourself that your are amazing because you are a kind soul and always so giving.
If there is one thing I know, it is this, " YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF YOURSELF."

With love,
Liza Pavlakos

DON'T JUDGE

DON'T JUDGE

A 24 yer old boy seeing out from the train's window shouted.
"Dad, the trees are going behind!"
Dad smiled and a couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24 year old childish behaviour with pity, suddenly, he again exclaimed.
"Dad, look the clouds are running with us!"
The couple couldn't resist and said to the old man.
"Why not take your son to a good doctor?" The old man smiled and said, "I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today. 

Every single person on the planet has a story. Don't judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you.

FIND TITLE, I AM HAVING HEADACHE......

 FIND TITLE, I AM HAVING HEADACHE.....
 
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months, he had admired a beautiful sport car in a dealer showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that is all he wanted. As Graduation Day approaches, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation, the father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, he told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious but somewhat disappionted, the young opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realized his father should be very old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.

But before he could make arrangements he received a telegram telling him that his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home imediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it many years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7: 11. "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealers name, the same dealer who had the sport car he had disired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

Moral Lesson: How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not as packged as we expected?

A Prayer For You: May you not miss God's blessings for just because it is not wrapped and packed as you expect it IJN!

GET UP AND GET MOVING

GET UP AND GET MOVING

Many of us have lingering attitudes. It is most times not physical but emotional. Sometimes it starts from our unwillingness to forgive, a negative prophecy we accepted, holding on to past resentments or blaming our past. 

These can afffect your personality, relationship and self image. Just like the man lying by the pool of Bathesda. Some sit back year after year waiting for a miracle to happen, waiting for some big events to come along and make things better.

Don't just fold your hands. Nothing is too big in this world to stop you from achieving your goals. So Get Up and Get Moving!!


Written By Olowoyeye Adebukola

THE STORY OF THE MAGICAL MUSTARD SEED ON HOW TO COPE WITH MISFORTUNES

THE STORY OF THE  MAGICAL MUSTARD SEED ON HOW TO COPE WITH MISFORTUNES
 
There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. In her grief she went to the holy man and asked, "What prayers, what magical incantations do you have to bring my son back to life?"

Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her, "Fetch me a mustard seed from a home that has never known sorrow. We will it use to drive out the sorrow of your life."

The woman went off at once in search of that magical mustard seed. She came first to a splendid mansion, knocked at the door, and said, "I am looking for a home that has never known sorrow. Is this such a place? It is very important to me." 

They told her, "You've certainly come to the wrong place," and began to describe all the tragic things that recently had befallen them. The woman said to herself, " Who is better to help these poor, unfortunate people than I, who have had misfortune of my own?" 

She stayed to comfort them, then went on to search for a home that had never known sorrow. But wherever she turned, in hotels and in other places, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune.

The woman became so involved in helping others cope with  their sorrows that she eventually let go of her own.

She would later come to understand that it is the quest for the magical mustard seed that drove her sufferings.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE AND UNSUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE AND UNSUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

There are no secret recipe to become a successful person. Some  conventional habits and characteractics that seperate the winner from the loser. Successful people exhibits the habit that enables them to achieve maximaum success. Unsuccessful people don't learn to work or improve on their habit. We are all products of our own habit.

Here are  the major differences in habits between the successful and unsuccessful people.

 1. Embrace change vs. Fear change: Successful people embrace change rather than fear it. Successful people are always ready to move in tune with the change of things. They are ever ready to make a step of change with the ever accelerating technology. They adapt to changes.

2. Want others to succeed vs. Secretly hope others to fail: When in an organization, successful people want the success of every member involved. They know that's the only way to make the organization more successful.

3. Give the people all the credits for their victories vs. Take all the credit from others: Successful people always give credits to the people worth it. Giving them the credit they deserve will only motivate them to perform better.

4. Accept responsibility for your failures vs. Blame others for your failures: Successful people always accept their mistakes and failures. They learn from it. They don't blame anybody. Blaming someone else will only bring the person down and hurt his/her feelings.

5. Read everyday vs. Watch TV everyday: Successful people always learn everyday by reading either a blog, a good book , newspaper or magazine. They are ever ready to improve themselves by just reading  to know more.

7 POWERFUL QUOTES THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FROM HOLLY RIORDAN

 7 POWERFUL QUOTES THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FROM HOLLY RIORDAN
 
We grow everyday. Growths is not just about physical growth but other aspects of our lives. We need to improve on ourselves each day by personal development. When you focus on improving yourself each day, you will definitely see more progress than when you left off yesterday.

When you develope the habit of improving yourself, you will find life more appreciating, you get to understand things and situations more. Improving yourself will improve your relationship with those around you.

Holly Riordan of All Women Stalk lists 7 notable quotes that will motivate you to become a more better woman/man:

1. Hard work is more important than talent: It's not all about being so talented. You have to know that, out there in the world, there are people more talented or as talented as you. Now, the question is; 'how do you become successful when there are people having very similar talent as you?'
To become successful, you have to get ready to work hard so as you could achieve you dream. Working hard is your only option to success.

2. You need to be productive today: To be successful tomorrow, you have to be productive today. You have to do something productive each day to get a better tomorrow. Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

3. Don't become bitter about your past: Don't dwell on your past experiences, only learn from them. Let them be your own life lessons and turn them to stepping stone to success. No matter what has happened to you in the past, let the memories of them make you a better person.

4. Never compare yourself to others: Don't compare yourself to anybody. Not the girl/boy next door. The only person you should compare yourself with is your past self. Make aim to being a better person than you were yesterday.

5.  You always have a choice in life: If you ever find yourself unhappy over anything, always know that you are given your own choice to make. You either sit and cry around it or you get up and do something about it. The choice is yours to make.

6. Push yourself to be the best that you can be: It's time to be your own motivational trainer. No one has to push around to get something done. No one has to force you to become the best. You have to push and motivate yourself. Believe that you are capable of achieving a goal and push yourself to try. You have to believe in yourself and do all your best.

7. It takes time to complete your goals: Nothing easy happens without a lot of hard work. It takes time to achieve your goals. You must be willing and persistent at what you want. Success is a long journey ahead and it is always worth the try, so never give up!

NEVER ALONE

NEVER ALONE

 


A father takes his son into the forest, blindfolds and left him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not to remove the blindfolds until the rays of the morning sun shines through it.

He can not cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold.

It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We too are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

If you liked this story please pass it on, if not, you took off your blindfold before dawn!

Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God doesn't mean that He is not there, for we walk by Faith not by sight!!

WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?

WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?

"The biggest hurdle is figuring out who your friends are. Your real friends." - Eleanor Mondale

Born Dec 21,1941, a very charismatic and iconic figure of Revolution. A Pan-Africanist theorist and president of Burkinafaso from 1983-1987 at the age of 33.

He eliminated curruption and the dominance ofthe former French colonial power. He launched the most ambitious program for social and Economic CHANGE ever attempted on the African Continent.

He nationalized all land and mineral wealth, he focused on education with a nation-wide literacy campaign. He also urged every village to build their own medical dispensary and had over 350 communities construct schools with their own labour.

He is one of the best minds that ever ruled a country in Africa!His name is Captain Thomas Isidore Noel Sankara.

He was assasinated by his best friend.Who do you consider your Best friend my people?!

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

 

“The beauty you see in me is a reflection of you”- Rumi

Are you aware that YOU are BOLDER that you BELIEVE, STRONGER than you seem, SMARTER that you think and unbelievably BEAUTIFUL, more than you have ever, ever imagined?

Other’s opinions of us do not matter. You must understand that the same people that say good things about you today, may not feel the same way about you tomorrow, and this is more than ok, because, it is only THEIR OPINION.
 

It is truly what YOU think of yourself that matters most.

There comes a point when you have to realise that you will never been good enough for some people, the questions is… Are you good enough and satisfied of yourself?

How often have we been taken to the darkness by the weight of our own deep insecurities, letting other people define every single aspect of our life that they never lived? If they have not lived, how will they ever understand? It is only until you have tasted hardship, that you will realise what you are truly made of.

As Rumi wrote so eloquently, "Its your road, and yours alone, others can walk it with you but no one can walk it for you."

Believe in yourself and stand tall and reach for your dreams. In your difficult times, stand tall and maintain ultimate conviction that you can be and achieve all that you want to in this world. Understand that God does not give you anything that you cannot handle.

Written By Liza Pavlakos

THE HANDBOOK OF LIFE

 THE HANDBOOK OF LIFE



1. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
 
2. Don't have negative thoughts or judgments. Instead invest your energy in seeing the positive present moment.
 
3. Let go of things you cannot change.

4.Try new things. Don't overdo. Accept your limits.

5. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
 
6. Don't waste your energy on gossip.
 
7. Dream more.
 
8. Envy is a waste of time. Be grateful for all that you have.
 
9. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
 
10. Don’t hate others. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
 
11. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
 
12. Remember that you are the only one in charge of your happiness.
 
13. Realize that life is a school filled with teachers and you are here to learn its many lessons. Problems you experience are simply part of the curriculum. The lessons will repeat until you learn them but once learned, they will last a lifetime.
 
14. Smile and laugh more.
 
15. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
 
16. Call your family often.
 
17. Give something good to others every day.
 
18. Forgive everyone for everything
 
19. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
 
20. Listen to people with all of your attention. Be present 100%
 
21. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
 
22. What other people think of you is none of your business.
 
23. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Keep in touch with your friends more often.

24. Always love yourself.

"I STILL KNOW WHO SHE IS."

"I STILL KNOW WHO SHE IS."

 

Few days ago, while going through my daily devotional prayer book, I was so blessed to have read this inspiring story.  It's TRUE LOVE inspired. I decided to share it with you. Please read and be blessed.

It was a busy morning, about 8:30am, when an elderly man in his 80's arrived to have stiches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone will be able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch and decided that since that I wasn't busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On examining it, I found out that it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment that morning, as he was such in a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while as she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset that he would be late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?' He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me but I know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm and thoughts, 'that is the kind of love I want in my life.

In life, you might not have the best of everything but you will have to make the best of everything. Love is not all about romantic feelings, it goes ways beyond that. With love in your heart you can withstand any negative circumstance that ever surfaces. You will find a way to surely conquer your fears.

My prayer for us is that as we grow everyday, may we learn also and may love always reign in our heart and homes..

THE PREGNANT DEER

THE PREGNANT DEER 

In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth. She finds a remote grass field near a strong-flowing river. This seems a safe place. Suddenly labour pains begin.
 
At the same moment, dark clouds gather around above and lightning starts a forest fire. She looks to her left and sees a hunter with his bow extended pointing at her. To her right, she spots a hungry lion approaching her.
 
What can the pregnant deer do?
She is in labour!
What will happen?
Will the deer survive?
Will she give birth to a fawn?
Will the fawn survive?
 
Or will everything be burnt by the forest fire?
Will she perish to the hunters' arrow?
Will she die a horrible death at the hands of the hungry male lion approaching her?
 
She is constrained by the fire on the one side and the flowing river on the other and boxed in by her natural predators.
 
What does she do?
She focuses on giving birth to a new life.
 
The sequence of events that follows are:
- Lightning strikes and blinds the hunter.
- He releases the arrow which zips past the deer and strikes the hungry lion.
- It starts to rain heavily, and the forest fire is slowly doused by the rain.
- The deer gives birth to a healthy fawn.
 
In our life too, there are moments of choice when we are confronted on all sides with negative thoughts and possibilities.
Some thoughts are so powerful they overcome us and overwhelm us.
 
Maybe we can learn from the deer. The priority of the deer, in that given moment, was simply to give birth to a baby.
The rest was not in her hands and any action or reaction that changed her focus would have likely resulted in death or disaster.
 
Where is our focus? In the midst of any storm do keep it on God. Remember! TeenDroidBible - Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. In all, Keep your focus on Jesus.

A RIVER MOVING

 A RIVER MOVING

"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving."- Rumi.

My name is Liza Pavlakos and I am proud to have the strength to share my journey with you. I was born in Malaysia, coming from an Indian background. 

I reside in Melbourne Australia. I was homeless at the young age of 16, many nights hungry and almost most nights feeling alone. I have suffered intense abuse. 

I am a PROUD survivor of intense domestic and sexual abuse. The abuse was so horrific that I proudly have a metal plate holding one side of my left cheekbone and eye in place.

I was also abducted and almost murdered when I was 19. I should have died in the hands of the horrible man who abducted me, and I could have ended my life after the intense violence that was bestowed upon me. 

Instead, I have grown from strength to strength. I am proud of my past, and most importantly, I am proud to be a successful entrepreneur having run many successful businesses and most importantly, having moved forward with my life.
 

I am a resolute advocate for empowering men and women worldwide. Drawing on my own experiences of abuse, I am dedicated to work to help people realise the intense power that lies within their soul.
 

I want you to understand that your trauma, your pain, your suffering makes you the amazing person that you are today.There is nothing in this world that can break you. Nothing in this world should stop you from being the superstar that you already are. 

You can be anything you want to be no matter how hard it seems, it all starts with your passion and your dreams sprinkled with belief and trust of our Creator, the Devine Source.
When you believe in the Devine Energy Source, you will never be alone and you will always be blessed no matter how bad the situation may seem.
 

As Budda wrote so eloquently -
In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.

  

Story Written By Liza Pavlakos

YOU CAN!

YOU CAN!

 

No matter what happens in your life. No matter what challenges you are going through. No matter what comes against you. You can still be who you want to be. 

You can still do whatever you need to do in life. Remember God will strengthen you. God never promise us a trouble free life but he does promise us that he will never forsake us nor abandon us in times of distress. 

Cast all your worries on him and go on with your life situations. Take your life one day at a time. Trust in him completely. Remember, what you are going through now is a moment. This too will pass away. 

Don't care about what the problem is, don't care about how enormous the problem is, don't care about how long it is going to take. 

Don't you ever give up on God! You are not hopeless and you are not help less .Thank you Jehovah because you love me. I will never give up on you!!

Written By Dr. Adjarho Laura K. Ese

DON'T WORRY

DON'T WORRY!

 

Don't worry about things you can't CHANGE. If you refuse to bloom where you are, your progress will be stiffled. God planted us somewhere specifically so we might bear much fruits. 

If you will keep blooming where you are, then you are rest assured in God's perfect timing. He will transplant you. He will put in some new soil so you can bear more fruit, but if you are not happy where you are, you will never get to where you want to be.

Your life compared to somebody's else's is a bed of roses. Don't ever take for granted what God has done for you.You may have obstacles today, but some people would give anything in the world to have your life!

Written By Olowoyeye Adebukola

BE A GOOD LISTENER

BE A GOOD LISTENER

More than our advice, more than our instruction, people need our listening ears. Many people simply need somebody they can talk to, somebody with whom they can be honest.

They just need a friend they can count on.You will be amazed at what positive impact you can have in the world if you will just learn to be a good LISTENER.

When you feel compassionate towards someone, that is God's way of telling you to be a blessing to that person. 's not all about money sometimes.You can't quantify what people are going through. You can save a life if you care to just LISTEN.

Written By Olowoyeye Adebukola